Mastodon Offer Advance Stream of New Album ‘Once More ‘Round the Sun’

The time has come! After a long and anxious wait, you can now hear Mastodon's sixth studio album, 'Once More 'Round the Sun,' in full one week before its release.

Few 2014 metal albums have been more anticipated than 'Once More 'Round the Sun.' The members of Mastodon have been describing their sixth album for months now, with drummer / vocalist Brann Dailor calling it "bizarre" and guitarist Bill Kelliher suggesting, "I think us screaming and yelling is kind of a thing of the past." Mastodon gave us two audio tastes of the album, releasing the singles 'High Road' and 'Chimes at Midnight,' but finally, we've got the entire thing to digest.

"It has some elements from all the albums in there, but then there’s lots of new stuff that I don’t recognize at all," Dailor told us during an exclusive interview. "That’s usually what we are really looking for, you know? There’s more of a surprise for ourselves and for fans. I, sort of, imagine people listening to it and either being absolutely horrified or absolutely loving it. [Laughs] Like, “Oh my god, what is this?!”

As for first impressions, 'Once More 'Round the Sun' definitely stands out as more eclectic than 2011's 'The Hunter,' although the new record does offer a similar vibe when it comes to accessibility. Although it doesn't go to the tripped-out lengths of 'Blood Mountain' or 'Crack the Skye,' there are runes of those two landmark albums throughout 'Once More 'Round the Sun.'

Like any Mastodon album, it's all about the experience. Check out the full stream via iTunes by clicking the red button below. 'Once More 'Round the Sun' drops June 24.